Her Desert Treasure (Entangled Ignite) by Larie Brannick Page A

stared him straight in the eye, hoping she could pull off a stern glare, but fearing she couldn’t keep a straight face. “Jake, what were you thinking? When you asked for a favor, I thought you wanted me to feed the animals or—”
    He took one of her hands and pleaded, “Please don’t be mad, although I understand if you are. My parents threw me a curve ball when they showed up with Kristen, and I panicked. When I saw you, I didn’t have time to think. I’m sorry I dragged you into this, but I was desperate.”
    All Meg could focus on was Jake’s hand clasping hers. The most amazing heat wound around her fingers and crept up her arm. A shimmery tingle made its way through her chest, a teasing warmth spread lower…
    “Meg? Say something.”
    What? Was he talking? Right. She was supposed to be mad, but there was no way she could keep up the farce with those brown eyes looking at her. “So your folks blindsided you, huh?”
    “Yeah, that’s one way to put it. Like I said, our parents are old friends. My mom kind of set us up a few years ago. We went out a couple of times, but… Anyway, I never called her after the second date, and that was that.” His lips curved into a sheepish smirk. “My mother gave me hell over it, but I wasn’t about to keep seeing her just to please the families.”
    Meg wondered if her first impression of Kristen had been wrong. She was beautiful, no question about it. Her pale skin was made up perfectly, and her from-the-bottle blonde hair was cut in a fashionable bob. Her designer short set and expensive leather shoes made Meg acutely aware of her wrinkled denim skirt and dusty tank top. Yes, Kristen was a beautiful woman, but there didn’t seem to be any warmth about her. Of course, if she’d come here expecting to have Jake to herself, finding him with a girlfriend probably wouldn’t make her feel warm and fuzzy.
    “So, I’m your decoy.”
    “I’m sorry. It sounds terrible when you say it like that.” He smiled and stroked his thumb over her knuckles. “Thank you for going along with me. I know I ambushed you, too.”
    Meg swallowed when his husky voice washed over her. “It’s okay. It’s the least I could do to thank for you taking care of Rex.”
    “You don’t have to thank me for that, Meg.” She tried to pull her hand away, but he held on. “What are you doing?”
    “I should get going. I’m sure you want to spend some time with your family.”
    “I do. But I was hoping you’d stay for a while. You know, since you’re my girlfriend and all.”
    His smile stopped her heart. “What do you want me to do?” This man was potent, and Meg was afraid she’d agree to just about anything he asked.
    “Come inside for a drink. No pressure. We’ll let them get used to seeing us together, and hopefully, that’ll be enough to convince my mother that I don’t need her matchmaking services. Come on.”
    …
    Jake didn’t let go of Meg’s hand for fear she’d come to her senses and bolt. He slung the strap to the garment bag over his shoulder and picked up the last suitcase. The largest of the bunch and undoubtedly Kristen’s. He tugged her along, keeping her close until they reached his front door. Meg opened it for him and stepped aside while he walked through. He took the bags to one of the spare bedrooms—the furthest from his own—before returning to the group in his living room. The dark cloud of dread lifted with the thought of Meg being here with him. Feeling decidedly lighter, he grinned when he entered the room.
    “What does everybody want to drink?”
    The next hour was spent with Jake and his parents catching up on family news as they sipped their drinks. His mother kept trying to include Kristen in the conversation, and because Meg didn’t know any of the people they were talking about, she sat quietly listening to stories about the latest mischief his two nephews were up to. He had to hand it to her. She was a trouper. She sat next to him the